Sunday, February 11, 2007

JMO4Rep Update - Feb. 2007

Friends, Constituents, and Allies,

It is hard to believe that more than a month of the 2007 Legislative Session isalready gone. I have been very busy both in Jefferson City and at home inthe 59th District. I have toured elementary schools, researched and filedlegislation, helped to present workshops on taxation and on healthcare cuts,and much more during the past five weeks.

Here are some of the recent highlights:

Floor Debate: The week of February 5-8 was especially demanding for meon the House floor as bills about Medicaid fraud, food stamps, and foodpantries were debated. Because of my background as an anti-povertyadvocate, I was part of the Democratic debate team for these bills. I offeredthree amendments, and one passed. That amendment barred providers(health insurance companies, drug companies, doctors, etc.) convicted ofMedicaid fraud from participating in the Medicaid program again. In truth,I believe in rehabilitation and second chances for just about everyone, butI wished to make a point that justice should be equal between poor peopleand better off people. Welfare programs ban poor people from food stamps,cash aid, etc. for life if convicted of fraud. As long as those laws stand, wealthypersons and entitites should have to live by the same rules.

Named Ranking Democrat: I have been named "ranking member" on theSpecial Committee on Energy and Environment by Democratic leadership.It is an honor to be trusted with this duty. My responsibilities include keepingthe Democratic caucus informed about all bills heard in our committee thatreach the floor for debate.

HB604Authorizes a state individual income tax credit equal to a percentage of anyearned income tax credit claimed by the taxpayer on the individual's federalincome tax return

HB605Prohibits transportation industry-related persons with conflicts of interest fromserving on the Regional Taxicab Commission and establishes a 10-memberadvisory committee

HB606Changes the laws regarding actions for damages for conduct or speech atpublic hearings or meetings by including actions that cause money damages

HB786Requires the development of caseload standards for the Department of Healthand Senior Services and the Department of Mental Health as well asexpanding protections on previous caseload standards for theDepartment of Social Services

HB787Establishes lower permissible and desirable class sizes than currently existin administrative rules for St. Louis School District and districts inSt. Louis County

HCR19Urges the United States government to not escalate its involvement in Iraq orincrease troop levels

HCR23Urges Congress to enact the United States National Health Insurance Act I will befiling additional legislation in coming days, including bills to create a utilitystabilization pilot for low-income families and a progressive income tax overhaul.

Other news from the State Capitol ---

Infighting among GOP Leaders: On Feb. 5, House Speaker Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill,held a news conference in Cape Girardeau to explain his removal of State Rep. ScottLipke, R-Jackson, as chairman of the House Crime Prevention and Public SafetyCommittee. According to the Southeast Missourian newspaper, Jetton stripped Lipke ofhis chairmanship as punishment for a provision of Jessica’s Law, a measure theGeneral Assembly passed last year to impose tougher penalties on sex offenders.

The disputed provision repealed the statute that made consensual same-sex sex acrime. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled such laws unconstitutional in 2003 so the law onMissouri's books had been unenforceable for some time.

Jetton accused Lipke of acting "in a very deceitful way" in repealing the provisionand said Republican House members "no longer trusted him." Lipke noted the repeal wascontained in nearly every version of the bill. He said summaries he providedlawmakers, prosecutors and judges clearly referenced the repeal. Law enforcementgroups have expressed disappointed in Jetton’s decision to oust Lipke as committeechairman. In my opinion, it is Speaker Jetton who has lost the respect of GOP membersin this very public battle.

HB 444 sponsored by Jetton would eliminate state income taxes on Social Securitybenefits and pension benefits for retired teachers and others retirees who do notcollect Social Security. In a 1989 ruling, the Supreme Court barred state from taxingsome public pensions while exempting others. Prior to that decision, Missouri hadtaxed federal and private pensions but exempted state and local pensions fromtaxation.

After the ruling, Missouri was forced to issue tax refunds to federal retirees. TheGeneral Assembly then changed state law to tax all public pensions equally. Althoughit sounds reasonable on the surface to take all taxes off Social Security, a deeperanalysis of Jetton's bill shows that 98% of the tax relief in it would go to thewealthiest 38% of Social Security recipients. My view is that taxation should bebased on the AMOUNT of income, not the TYPE.

MOHELA: On Feb.7, the Senate Education Committee voted 6-4 along party lines to stripsix projects from the list of those to be governor’s proposed sale of Missouri HigherEducation Loan Authority (MOHELA) assets. Among the rejected projects is the crownjewel of the governor’s plan -- the new life sciences building at the University ofMissouri Columbia. The other removed projects are a research facility at Harris-StoweState University, an emerging technologies center at the University of Missouri-St.Louis, business incubators and the UM campuses in Columbia and Kansas City and ahealth science center in Kansas City.

The projects ostensibly were removed to mollify opponents of stem cell research. Therejected projects are all in districts represented by Democrats. Projects inRepublican districts were unaffected. As the MOHELA debate continues, my focus is oninsisting that a truly independent analysis be conducted before any deal is made,because MOHELA assets should not be sold if doing so would make it less possible forMO college students to get affordable educational loans.

Shenandoah School Receives Piano Lab Grant: I was excited to see the new piano lab atShenandoah School during my Feb. 8 tour. Congratulations to Principal Wayne and herstaff.

If you want to reach me during Legislative Session, call me at the numbers below. Iam generally in the state capitol from mid-day Monday until mid-day ThursdayJanuary-May.

As we head into Mardi Gras season, just this reminder: If you come to Soulard toparty and venture over into Benton Park, don't park on my lawn:-)